What do I want to write about?
This is the big question - bigger than all the others.
Politics, history, the First World War, music, football, work.
You know what? It's not just that. I want others to write and others to be read. Not because I am a particularly nice guy or anything but because I believe if we can get millions writing and being read and all telling their little bit of the global story then I, personally, will end up a lot better informed. Don't you just love it when selfishness and alturism meet?
But saying things like that does rather change the goalposts. Indeed, I can almost imagine myself hardly writing at all. After all, I do find it something of a struggle.
The question is how? We're getting to the stage where anyone who is computer literate can set up their own blog. Hey, this one took five minutes. Writing isn't the problem. Getting read is.
In the early days of the blogosphere bloggers tended to promote one another as a matter of course. That's two years ago and things have changed. The pier to pier element seems to have declined. Nowadays we tend to dream of being Instapundited. This is regrettable because stacks of people are doing excellent work out there but not being covered.
Perhaps this is a gap I should fill. The problem is I have tried in the past to set up digest blogs. Twice, nay three times. Didn't work out. Perhaps I didn't show the necessary commitment. I was always being dragged away by Transport Blog. Well, according to the guiding principles of this blog TB is no longer a factor. Perhaps I should give it another go.
Problem is that TB is still a factor. If I were the only writer, I would combine it and Croziervision, add an In Brief bar (to act as the digest bit), move to Expression Engine and, hey presto, have everything in one place.
Why ever not? Partly because I am not the only writer and I have made certain commitments to others. But then again I get the feeling that writing for Transport Blog is something of a struggle for most of them. TB just doesn't have the readership and I think that is the sine qua non of group blogs. Without that they are doomed. Perhaps worse than the writers is the commentariat. They are an excellent bunch and I feel I would be betraying them.
The other objection is, well, it's just another one of my "ideas". I have lots of them. I am constantly changing my mind and this is not a good thing.
Come to think of it there's a third objection: consistency. I am a serial hiatuser. I have gaps. I am having one right now because I am writing here. There is no way on earth that I am going to be able to keep things going on a day-by-day basis. But is that really a problem? Sure, it limits my readership. But if the idea works then maybe others will take up the cudgels. And that's just fine. Maybe, I'll find others who can contribute - though there would then be an issue with whether they could also contribute to the Main Section. My inclination is to say "no".
Politics, history, the First World War, music, football, work.
You know what? It's not just that. I want others to write and others to be read. Not because I am a particularly nice guy or anything but because I believe if we can get millions writing and being read and all telling their little bit of the global story then I, personally, will end up a lot better informed. Don't you just love it when selfishness and alturism meet?
But saying things like that does rather change the goalposts. Indeed, I can almost imagine myself hardly writing at all. After all, I do find it something of a struggle.
The question is how? We're getting to the stage where anyone who is computer literate can set up their own blog. Hey, this one took five minutes. Writing isn't the problem. Getting read is.
In the early days of the blogosphere bloggers tended to promote one another as a matter of course. That's two years ago and things have changed. The pier to pier element seems to have declined. Nowadays we tend to dream of being Instapundited. This is regrettable because stacks of people are doing excellent work out there but not being covered.
Perhaps this is a gap I should fill. The problem is I have tried in the past to set up digest blogs. Twice, nay three times. Didn't work out. Perhaps I didn't show the necessary commitment. I was always being dragged away by Transport Blog. Well, according to the guiding principles of this blog TB is no longer a factor. Perhaps I should give it another go.
Problem is that TB is still a factor. If I were the only writer, I would combine it and Croziervision, add an In Brief bar (to act as the digest bit), move to Expression Engine and, hey presto, have everything in one place.
Why ever not? Partly because I am not the only writer and I have made certain commitments to others. But then again I get the feeling that writing for Transport Blog is something of a struggle for most of them. TB just doesn't have the readership and I think that is the sine qua non of group blogs. Without that they are doomed. Perhaps worse than the writers is the commentariat. They are an excellent bunch and I feel I would be betraying them.
The other objection is, well, it's just another one of my "ideas". I have lots of them. I am constantly changing my mind and this is not a good thing.
Come to think of it there's a third objection: consistency. I am a serial hiatuser. I have gaps. I am having one right now because I am writing here. There is no way on earth that I am going to be able to keep things going on a day-by-day basis. But is that really a problem? Sure, it limits my readership. But if the idea works then maybe others will take up the cudgels. And that's just fine. Maybe, I'll find others who can contribute - though there would then be an issue with whether they could also contribute to the Main Section. My inclination is to say "no".
posted by Patrick Crozier at 7:30 AM
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